Chapter 8: Tournament Preparations

The next morning, Ni Lang sat in the center of the top floor of his pagoda with the black box he had taken from the Venos Palace throne room. Now that he was in a safe environment without prying eyes, he could access the contents without fear. Within were four of his greatest treasures, one obtained just before the massacre of the Emissary of Undeath.

The first treasure was all of his research as a mage. Mages were a secretive kind of people that closely guarded their magic spells and rituals. As one of the top 12 most powerful mages, many would desire to gain his knowledge. With the research came all of his research materials. Vials, tubes, herbs, tables, potions of all kinds, and a mummy appeared all over the top floor, arranged in a neat fashion.

The mummy was the second treasure. He had found deep in magical beast territory. He guessed it was the body of a magical beast that reached the Fake Immortal stage. However, classifications changed after the destruction of the Emissary of Undeath so he did not know what realm the body would classify as. Its spirit energy was sealed with a complex magic circle so that only the one who cast it would be able to unlock. To Cid Drake, it was an endless supply of mana. To Ni Lang, the four magical beast cores within was a priceless treasure. The magical beast cores were for the elements of water, metal, earth, and wind.

He took out the metal and earth magical cores, keeping them to absorb past the Obsidian Realm. The metal element was a combination of two elements: fire and earth. He was confident he could absorb the spirit energy within the core, through his spirit weapon. He also took out the wind magical beast core and stored all three of them in his shadow. He left the water magical beast core so that the mummy would remain his infinite mana reactor.

Mages could turn any elemental essence into mana, but martial artists had to have high enough affinity to fuse the elemental essence into their techniques. They had higher power at the cost of affinity restrictions. Mages highly valued water magical beast cores and water element magical beasts as water elemental essence was the easiest to convert into mana for spells and rituals. While martial artists with the water affinity were usually the weakest, mages with water affinity were almost always the most powerful.

"Why take out the wind magical beast core?" Ignus asked.

"I plan to use it as a tool in a black market auction. I don't lack money, but I can have it sold for a different item as it is a higher ranked treasure. I can't use it anyway," Ni Lang answered and stared at the last two treasures.

The third treasure was the most fascinating of the four treasures. It was the seed of the World Tree! Legend had it that the founder of the Venos Empire built the capital right where the World Tree died, secretly hoarding all of the seeds. He gifted his descendants with it and they were the reason the Venos Empire could not be defeated by the demons, but also the reason they sundered the Heavens and brought their own demise.

"That thing....is ancient. What does it do?" Ignus asked.

"It is a seed of the World Tree. The founder of the Venos Empire wrote a journal describing how the World Tree died and cut of the Mortal Realm from the Immortal Realm, requiring ascension to reach it. This is one of many seeds he gifted my family. In my day, wood mages were the only rivals of water mages, giant snake-like roots tearing the land, demons unable to withstand its touch as the roots drained their blood like water. I did not have affinity to wood and could not use wood magic magic," Ni Lang answered as he absorbed the seed into his body. "With this, my divine tattoo will be formed."

His whole body shook as what seemed to have broken last night, repaired. His body had five elements again, forming a pentagram circle on his back as his current divine tattoo shined. On his back, the One-horned red wolf spirit that was a half-formed divine tattoo shined. It appeared as if within a pentagram rune circle. Each point of the star represented one of his five elements. A coiling, black dragon represented destruction as it crackled with violet lightning. A skull with black flames within its eyes represented the element of darkness. There two were the bottom two star points as they were the ones with the weakest affinities. The top left point was that of a burning phoenix, made completely of jade colored fire. The top right point was that of a white tree with jade leaves and three gold apples, the tree representing the element of wood.

Finally, the top point was that of a sand colored crown. It was the same majestic Earth King Crown within his Soul Realm. The One-horned red wolf in the center was surrounded with two red rings, as if they were halos. Unrecognizable runes formed the lines that made the circle and the star lines. This was a divine tattoo belonging to that of the Era of Dragons, a lost method of creation that represented the cultivators spirit and elemental affinities. Only through forming this, was a mage or martial artist recognized for being a true genius before the disorder and mutation of cultivation into meal ranked bodies and realms.

"Why is master emanating such pure spirit energy?" Ignus cried as the panda cub ran and settled against Ni Lang's left knee as he currently sat in lotus position.

"With this, I have a higher affinity to all my elements. I wonder if I reached the Scion level of affinity, ninety and above? I'm sure I reached the state of becoming one with the world, controlling nature as if it were an extension of my body. However, the Obsidian Realm will be difficult to progress with conflicting elements of wood and fire," Ni Lang muttered as he stared at the fourth treasure.

"Let me out!" a voice roared, a faint whisper escaping a gold sphere with an entity trapped within.

"Now I know why I was cursed. I didn't see it before, but this sphere traps spirit energy in its true form. So you were an Evil Jade Phoenix, Emissary of Undeath," Ni Lang mocked as he glared at it with pure rage and hatred.

"How did you trap me in here?" the phoenix asked.

"The summoning ritual always traps a part of the mana or spirit energy of the thing summoned. Only a small, insignificant piece of you is here, the rest of your damned soul somewhere in the world. Did you know, as I trained in that pure darkness for a hellish ten years, how much I hated myself for listening to my father to sunder the Heavens with the summoning rituals. At least summoning spells were safe," Ni Lang growled.

"You fragmented my soul?" the phoenix cried.

"You did that yourself when you cursed the whole fucking empire! I don't know about the other fragments, but I hid you in that sealed box when I discovered you broke the bindings of the summoning ritual and sought to kill us all. Don't worry, I will kill the rest of your soul fragments, no matter what vessel they took over. I will atone for my sins by killing you!" Ni Lang roared.

"You don't want to do that. No, you can't kill all of me," the phoenix laughed.

"Why not? It would be all too easy," Ni lang said as he put his hand on the gold sphere, preparing to destroy it and absorb the soul into his soul fire.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! You really have no idea what you are, do you? The first generation of undead were made by the souls of the people in your palace. However, your bodies and souls were destroyed! You are me, but with your memories. This is just like how you have Ni Lang's memories, but thought yourself to be Cid Drake or Timber absorbing his soul and memory!" the phoenix laughed. "The first generation is me! You are me! I, no you, are the very thing you hate most! How else could your soul gain its first spirit ring? You were in a death like state, more dead than any in history! How else could your soul fire endure after eight thousand years without any cultivation? One day, my slumbering consciousness will awaken with the more of my soul fires absorbed by you and I will be reborn!"

"Lies!" Ni Lang roared as he crushed the gold sphere, the jade phoenix becoming a wisp of soul fire.

"You are me! HAHAHAHA! We are the supreme being to transcend life and death," the soul fire whispered before being drained into his soul fire.

"Master?" Ignus asked as Ni Lang laughed hysterically.

"Telling me lies on the eve of its destruction, like any other mortal. Me? Him? What lies," Ni Lang said, denial strong in his heart. "What I need to do is make potions and spirit pills. Hmph. Me and him are the soul fragments of the Emissary of Undeath? Ha! That is too absurd to be the truth. Of all the lies, he said that one. HAHAHAHAHA"

Ignus and the panda cub stared in silence as Ni Lang spent two weeks using whatever herbs he had left to make spirit pills. As he cultivated, he passed reached the middle stage and also entered the late stage of the Flame Realm. His curse had also spread, encompassing the entire forearm and hand. It finally slowed to the speed as it was before, Ni Lang guessing it was stimulated because of the phoenix.

He also developed rune circles which he transcribed into bandages that wrapped around his entire left arm, the snow white runes preventing the black bandages from being burnt and cloaking the jade energy of the arm. With all his research materials gone, he destroyed everything but the mummy as he stored it in his shadow. No one could know he was a mage, a secret he wanted to reveal during the tournament when he met a stronger foe. Ignus was privy to gossip outside the pagoda, talking about how more participants were assassinated. Ignus also killed a few assassins that infiltrated into his own pagoda.

"Big brother is finally out!" Bu'er cried as he saw a black cloaked youth appear, the armor stashed in his storage bag.

"Ni Lang!" Ni Kong cried and all but one of his siblings arriving as Ni Feng left long before he returned.

"You're alive!" Ni Qian cried.

"You sound shocked. Should I feel insulted?" Ni Lang asked his dad.

"No. Assassins have grown bold lately. They nearly killed your sister. My first wife, Li Qing, killed the assassins but got poisoned. She is fine now, but we checked Ni Zhang he and his family were killed. Many of the sub branches are angered with the death of the prodigy and all but one faction suffered attacks. However, there is no proof they did it," Ni Kong growled.

"What is the name of that faction?" Ni Lang asked.

"The Nine-Headed Hydra, a mix of various clans of mages and martial artists that kill and raise magical beasts. Some rumors claim they are involved with the underground trafficking of spirit reactors," Ni Kong answered.

"It was completed?" Ni lang thought, shock in his heart as he asked, "What is it?"

"A lost technology from the Era of Dragons. It is a device that acts as a magical treasure that augments a cultivators spirit energy. It allows mages to cast more powerful spells, or martial artists to display their techniques above their cultivation stage. The problem lies in its manufacturing. It is not an item that became magical due to elemental energy," Ni Kong began.

"It contains the heart of a cultivator," Ni Lang finished as everyone was stunned.

"How did you know?" Ni Kong asked.

"The heart is the main organ that pumps blood throughout the body. Elemental essence is absorbed into the Soul Realm, the soul fire converting it into spirit energy for the body to use as mana or for techniques. The brain cannot contain elemental essence or spirit energy after death, but the heart can be preserved even after hundreds of years," Ni Lang said, oblivious to the people around him as they were shocked at the details. "But why assassinate those below the Flame Realm? They lack the amount of power necessary for it to be effective."

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"What if a regular person got those?" Ni Qian asked.

"It could work then," Ni Lang said, everyone turning to her. "The regular human cannot use the regular spirit reactors, but a weak, ordinary human can."

"So that's why their hearts are missing," Ni Kong cursed. "Ni Qian, I am going to the patriarch to explain the situation. Have all the sub branch members living outside the Burning Phoenix District to take residence here. Alert all the guards and recruit people who specialize in spirit energy detection. We will kill these assassins if they dare trespass again!"

"Yes, father," Ni Qian said and ran toward the gates where the guards protected the only entrance to the district as Ni Kong and the others left.

"In light of what happened, I assume this means you will join the tournament now, Ni Bu" Ni Lang said as he stared at Ni Bu, not using the suffix of affection as they were brothers.

"I won't win, with big brother participating, but I can place third," Bu grinned, the eldest of the third wife happy and sad to hear the news. "I'm scared though. Mom, also worries we'll be attacked by the assassins like Ni Qian and her mom."

"Where do these people of the Nine-Headed Hydra live? Is it close by?" Ni Lang asked.

"Not really. It's half way across the city. Will they try to kill me, big brother?" Ni Bu asked.

"Relax. Father will protect you. Run along now. You're sixteen. You need to be brave for our other five siblings. It's gonna be alright," Ni Lang said, Ni Bu nodding and ran to his mother.

"Well this is quite the fun situation. I say we kill and loot this so called Nine-Headed Hydra faction," Ignus smiled.

"We'll make our move tonight," Ni Lang said and went to the third floor of his pagoda, setting a link to his black talisman there. When dawn fell, Ni Lang quietly left the Burning Phoenix District. His golem was left to care for his panda cub while he left his storage bag there and donned a silver tiger mask and simple black cloak. He also wore a black gauntlet over his left hand and donned a Steel ranked staff. Raiding the luxury houses and pavilions in Quentican City had its perks.

"So long as it's not a cultivator at the Obsidian Realm, I should be fine," Ni Lang said. "Ignus, do you see it yet?"

"Up ahead is a giant hotel. Mana stone lamps are everywhere. It has twenty guards at the eighth and ninth stage of the Metal Realm guarding the perimeter," Ignus said as it used its superior eyesight and spirit energy sensitivity. "I sense another group up ahead, watching from a distance. I think they also aim to go inside."

"Where is the tallest building near that group?" Ni Lang asked as he grasped his staff.

"About six blocks ahead. Why master?" Ignus asked.

"You will sneak into the hotel from here and destroy the stairs. As for the distraction, leave it to the other group. It is best to distract the guards with another dagger. I'll use magic to make them notice that group. We will btoh be able to infiltrate with ease," Ni Lang said. "This Steel ranked staff will suffice. Go when you see the fight starting."

Ni Lang and Ignus stood at a six story building roof as Ni Lang lifted his staff into the air. A lot of mana condensed into the staff, causing it to glow with a sandy aura. A magic circle appeared on his left hand as he pointed it between where the guards and the other group where, Ignus guiding his direction. Ni Lang felt his body weaken as he used a fifth of his spirit energy. The duo watched as a small waves of explosions occurred from the group eastward, toward the left side of the hotel. The guards screamed as some of them perished while others scrambled to see who had done it.

"Go," Ni Lang ordered and Ignus grinned and sped in a bolt of black lightning. Ni Lang waved his staff and killed the guards in Ignus's path with spears of earth that fell from his location and impaled them to the ground. He waved his staff again and shrouded himself in darkness as he entered the hotel grounds and entered from the third floor balcony, using spirit energy to enhance the power of his legs. Ignus entered the hotel from the twentieth floor as Ni Lang smashed his way through the guards.

"Don't move!" a group of mages shouted but Ni Lang brought a finger to his mouth, waving it outward and sending spears of darkness into them.

"Voiceless incantations? But how? He doesn't seem to be at the Obsidian Realm?" a mage cried, unable to see his cultivation as it he shrouded in darkness, as if his body absorbed the light around it.

"Die for me," Ni Lang said as placed his hands on their heads, their mana restoring his spirit energy as he used his dark magic to drain their life force. In his day, he saw many mages executed using this horrible and absolute magic that only magical treasures defenses could stop. He would have used wood magic to absorb

"They are innocent. I didn't see any spirit reactors in their vaults. I did steal something of note. I will head to you," Ignus said, using their thrall link.

"Now I feel a little bit guilty. Perhaps the group sneaking around were the assassins? I better make my escape," Ni Lang thought as the roof burst, a man in emerald armor and a giant battle awe staring at him.

"Stop right there, assassin!" the man roared as he ran forward.

"Crap! Is he at the Obsidian Realm?" Ni Lang cursed as the man wielding heavy armor and the giant axe moved as if they were weightless, the air releasing a strong pressure as the giant axe scarred the roof as it swung down at him. As Ni Lang dodged it, the man smirked as he swung it sideways as it fell, the side of the axe smashing Ni Lang through three desks and cracked the wall as he slammed into it. His staff shattering on impact with the axe as Ni Lang swallowed his own blood as he fell down from the wall.

"You want to kill the participants of Nine-Headed Hydra? Dream on!" the man roared and charged at him. Ni Lang focused earth spirit energy into his left hand as he smashed it on the ground. The man's eyes widened as the floor instantly broke to the next floor down, losing his balance due to his charging movement.

Ni Lang twirled his staff in the air and slammed it three six inches in the floor as he yelled, "Shadow paralysis!"

The shadows of his spear reached the fragments of the floor and connected with the man's shadow as he fell. The man's eyes widened as he could not move any of his limbs and his eyes wandered to the silver masked assassin. Ni Lang rushed out of view, Ignus turning to its spirit form as it entered within range.

The man roared, his voice carrying strong spirit energy that exploded around him. Freed, he rushed to the assassin and his eyes widened as his giant axe met empty air as he vanished with a puff of smoke. He spread his spirit energy, trying to sense the assassin but only detected a group that currently engaged with his guards.

Enraged, he threw his battle axe and cut two assassins in two before it made a crater on the ground. Appearing next to them, he saw they all wore black clothes and had a black leather cover the bottom half of their faces as the rest were covered in a black turban. They could do nothing as the man killed them and screamed with rage.

"Third Boss," the guards said, seeing the third strongest of the Nine-Headed Hydra leaders looking at them.

"What the hell were you doing? They were only at the initial Flame Realm! You could easily overwhelm them with your numbers!" the man roared.

"It's not our fault, Third Boss. We feared another explosion wave of earth and did not detect a single mage among them," the guards said.

"Third Boss!" a guard cried as he appeared in front of him. "One of the vaults was raided. Only it was empty. Records stated that Second Boss stashed a single item there."

"Shit! Right when my eight drinking brothers left, these assassins showed up! First them and now a mage thief?" the man cursed.

"The mage was not with them?" the guards asked, confused.

"No. He must have sensed the assassins and used them to distract you. He probably thought they were like him, suspecting us of being the assassins and secretly aimed to search the hotel for evidence against us. There must be more than one. The mage I fought should not have had enough time to break into Second Brother's vault, much less find and break into it. They must be from a thieving organization! I want all our men to gather all information of any thieve ring in the city and wipe them out! No doubt, this incident will prove us as innocent as we have the dead assassins here."

"Should we clean the mess, Third Boss?" a guard asked as others moved to alert others about their orders.

"No. We guard this scene and not tamper with it at all. It will be proof we didn't kill the participants of other factions. Fuck, who the hell is using us as a cover?" the man roared.

Back in the pagoda, a silver masked man crashed onto the floor. Safe, he no  longer cared as he spat blood and changed clothes. The panda cub licked his face and stared at him, worried. He smiled and pat its head, telling it to go ahead and sleep. It looked at him and then slept on a stone bed near his own bed.

"Sorry, master. I was not fast enough," Ignus bowed his head.

"Don't worry about it. No traces were left behind. Still, they would believe a mage was responsible. It is a damn good thing I remembered the spells I witnessed and learned in the past," Ni Lang sighed.

"What about the staff?" Ignus asked.

"A Steel ranked staff. Even a commoner could afford one. Just what did you steal?" Ni Lang asked.

"This weird bonsai tree," Ignus said as it gently placed it in front of him. "I don't know what it is but it seemed special as it was the only thing in the vault. I think master should--"

The imp stopped as it saw the panda cub lunge and bite the whole tree into its mouth, even tearing the pot to eat the roots. Ni Lang and Ignus stared at the panda cub as trembled while a foreign energy appeared. Ni Lang cried out as a black gas came out its mouth, turning the floor it touched into ash. The panda grew to two feet in height and now had a black, white, and orange fur.

"Uh, master, I think the panda just gained the death attribute. I don't know about any other, but i suspect it is the lava attribute due to the orange color," Ignus said as it stared at the panda, dumbfounded. Ni Lang didn't know whether to laugh or cry as the panda discovered its fur had three colors now. It burped and Ignus hastily flew out of the black gas's path before it vanished.

"We might have to keep a closer eye on you. I wonder what name I should call you," Ni Lang wondered as he decided to rest and cultivate before the tournament's start.